Medieval European travellers to India spoke with wonder of the “fabulous green domes of Golconda”, which reminded one of them of the blue domes of Samarkand. But those domes, through long years of neglect, have turned to the colour of ashes, the graceful mausolea supporting them have been collapsing, and the 108-acre park surrounding them has long turned into a wilderness.
Now, however, things are changing. Courtesy of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, these 16th-17th century Qutb Shahi Tombs in Hyderabad are being restored in a hugely ambitious project, which will take 10 years to complete and cost over Rs 100 crore. The entire effort is being driven by the internationally acclaimed conservation architect, Ratish Nanda, who has been responsible for the restoration of the Humayun’s Tomb precinct in Delhi.
Over the past year or so, 30 of complex’s monuments have been painstakingly restored, and once certain benchmarks have been achieved, the Qutb Shahi Tombs will qualify to join the world’s 1,200-odd UNESCO World Heritage sites, alongside such wonders as the Acropolis in Athens and the Great Wall of China. By the time the project is completed in 2025, as Ratish Nanda has said, “People will come to Hyderabad only to see the Qutb Shahi Tombs.”
But all this has been happening so quietly, that many people in Hyderabad don’t even know about it.
Source of great wealth
The Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled in the Deccan over a 170-year period that corresponded, more or less, with that of the Mughal Empire. Their kingdom of Golconda covered most of today’s Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and was enormously wealthy thanks to, among other things, its exotic kalamkari and muslin textiles, its high quality iron and steel (which was used for the making of the legendary Damascus steel swords), its Warangal carpets - prized as far away as Persia - and its highly advanced ship-building industry, which impressed the pioneering Portuguese and Dutch navigators.
But, most of all, it was famed for its diamonds, being the world’s primary source at the time. Indeed, many of the world’s most famous diamonds today, including the Koh-i-noor, Darya-i-Noor, Orloff, Regent, Archduke Joseph, Hope and Taj-i-Mah, originated here in Golconda.
As a result of all this, in the 17th century, the kingdom of Golconda was a flourishing centre for international trade, doing business with Persia, Arabia, Turkey, Malaya, and Java, as well as Europe. In fact, the kingdom was so prosperous that the word “Golconda” ultimately entered the English dictionary, meaning “a source of great wealth and riches”.
A passion for architecture
The Qutb Shahi sultans used much of their wealth on architecture. In 1591, Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah built the new city of Hyderabad. It was perhaps the first city to be planned on a geometric grid pattern, as Manhattan is today – a city of gardens and fountains that was centred around the Charminar, and compared by contemporary travellers to the great cities of Europe. It was a cosmopolitan place, home to traders from Portugal, Holland, France and England, and it housed, among other things, Darushifa, the oldest public hospital in Asia.
The Qutub Shahis were enlightened beyond their times and worked to create a fusion of Persian and Telugu influences in their architecture, literature, art, cuisine, and culture in general. This became pronounced after the accession of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, who had spent many years as a guest of Rama Raya in Vijaynagar in his youth. He considered Telugu to be his second mother tongue, patronised Telugu court poets such as Singanacharyudu and Kandukuri Rudrakavi, and often indigenised his own name to “Mulki Brahm”.
Imposing and ornate
The Qutb Shahi passion for architecture also inspired the creation of their tombs, designed in yet another fusion of Persian and Telugu idioms. The first of these tombs, built in 1543, was that of the dynasty’s founder. It was a simple black stone affair, set on a low platform, its plinths inscribed with calligraphy.
But as the dynasty rose in terms of wealth, power and international prestige, their tombs became increasingly more imposing and ornate, reaching their apogee in those of Mohammad Quli (1612), Hayat Bakhshi Begum (1667) and Abdullah (1672). The last of the tombs, however, remains poignantly unoccupied: the last sultan, Abul Hasan Tana Shah, was captured by Aurangzeb after the fall of Golconda, and died in a Mughal prison 20 years later. He lies buried in a simple, lonely grave in Maharashtra’s Daulatabad, far from the rest of his family.
The 17th century French traveller, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, wrote in his "Travels in India" that food was distributed to the poor every afternoon at the Qutb Shahi Tombs. "But when you wish to see something really beautiful, you should go to these tombs on the day of a festival for then, from morning to evening, they are covered with rich carpets,” he added.
A first in centuries
One of the members of the restoration project provided fascinating details of their quest. The Qutb Shahi Tombs are perhaps the only example of their kind in the world: an entire dynasty’s cenotaphs laid out in one splendid, landscaped garden, along with their queens, trusted ministers, holy men and healers. This is one of the main reasons why the Aga Khan Trust decided to take up the project.
The restoration team’s work began, out of necessity, by stripping away layers of so-called “restoration” work done by different parties over the years – not just the thoughtless cement patchwork done by the Archaeology Department in recent times, which has probably done more harm than good, but also the restoration work going all the way back to the 1800s, which overlaid the original Qutb Shahi detailing with Mughal-style detailing.
Once this process had been completed, the authentic beauty of the cenotaphs began to shine through for the first time in centuries. Fragments of the ceramic tiles that once adorned the cenotaphs emerged in their original glowing colours. New details of stucco scrollery - a hallmark of the Qutb Shahi style - were suddenly revealed.
And, in a small, heart-catching way, wry human details were discovered in the motifs on the cenotaphs of the different personages: one of them evidently had a weakness for grapes, for example, and therefore had a profusion of grapes depicted on his tomb; another preferred pineapples and had therefore asked for an abundance of pineapples to be rendered on his. Little details like this reveal to us the human foibles and fancies of kings and queens, dead for nearly half a millennium.
Serendipitous discoveries
Along the way, the restoration team has had to carry out emergency repairs to structures collapsing from long years of neglect. And, in the process, serendipitous discoveries have been made: like a long-lost 400-year-old summer palace; a secret tunnel, 10-ft wide, leading to who knows where; a hidden mosque; samples of medieval pottery from unexpected places like Indonesia and China; and a boundary wall that obviously once enclosed this entire magnificent complex.
The results of the restoration project are already self-evident. Yet, less than a tenth of the work has been completed. Ultimately, not only will the monuments themselves be restored to their original architectural beauty, but the 108 acres of medieval gardens, fountains, pathways and drainage systems will also be revitalised.
One of the challenges, however, will be for Ratish Nanda and his team to manage the encroachments that have, inevitably, come up on the site. Another will be to somehow integrate the cenotaph complex with the grotesque 30-acre Deccan Park that has been created cheek by jowl with it, featuring such attractions as replicas of monsters, a toy train, sailing boats, and a musical fountain that proudly claims to play a selection of over 2,000 Bollywood and Tollywood songs.
But, having seen the admirable results of Delhi’s Humayun’s Tomb restoration project, there is every chance that Nanda and team will prevail, and Hyderabad will, at last, have the World Heritage site it deserves.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
Now, however, things are changing. Courtesy of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, these 16th-17th century Qutb Shahi Tombs in Hyderabad are being restored in a hugely ambitious project, which will take 10 years to complete and cost over Rs 100 crore. The entire effort is being driven by the internationally acclaimed conservation architect, Ratish Nanda, who has been responsible for the restoration of the Humayun’s Tomb precinct in Delhi.
Over the past year or so, 30 of complex’s monuments have been painstakingly restored, and once certain benchmarks have been achieved, the Qutb Shahi Tombs will qualify to join the world’s 1,200-odd UNESCO World Heritage sites, alongside such wonders as the Acropolis in Athens and the Great Wall of China. By the time the project is completed in 2025, as Ratish Nanda has said, “People will come to Hyderabad only to see the Qutb Shahi Tombs.”
But all this has been happening so quietly, that many people in Hyderabad don’t even know about it.
Source of great wealth
The Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled in the Deccan over a 170-year period that corresponded, more or less, with that of the Mughal Empire. Their kingdom of Golconda covered most of today’s Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and was enormously wealthy thanks to, among other things, its exotic kalamkari and muslin textiles, its high quality iron and steel (which was used for the making of the legendary Damascus steel swords), its Warangal carpets - prized as far away as Persia - and its highly advanced ship-building industry, which impressed the pioneering Portuguese and Dutch navigators.
But, most of all, it was famed for its diamonds, being the world’s primary source at the time. Indeed, many of the world’s most famous diamonds today, including the Koh-i-noor, Darya-i-Noor, Orloff, Regent, Archduke Joseph, Hope and Taj-i-Mah, originated here in Golconda.
As a result of all this, in the 17th century, the kingdom of Golconda was a flourishing centre for international trade, doing business with Persia, Arabia, Turkey, Malaya, and Java, as well as Europe. In fact, the kingdom was so prosperous that the word “Golconda” ultimately entered the English dictionary, meaning “a source of great wealth and riches”.
A passion for architecture
The Qutb Shahi sultans used much of their wealth on architecture. In 1591, Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah built the new city of Hyderabad. It was perhaps the first city to be planned on a geometric grid pattern, as Manhattan is today – a city of gardens and fountains that was centred around the Charminar, and compared by contemporary travellers to the great cities of Europe. It was a cosmopolitan place, home to traders from Portugal, Holland, France and England, and it housed, among other things, Darushifa, the oldest public hospital in Asia.
The Qutub Shahis were enlightened beyond their times and worked to create a fusion of Persian and Telugu influences in their architecture, literature, art, cuisine, and culture in general. This became pronounced after the accession of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, who had spent many years as a guest of Rama Raya in Vijaynagar in his youth. He considered Telugu to be his second mother tongue, patronised Telugu court poets such as Singanacharyudu and Kandukuri Rudrakavi, and often indigenised his own name to “Mulki Brahm”.
Imposing and ornate
The Qutb Shahi passion for architecture also inspired the creation of their tombs, designed in yet another fusion of Persian and Telugu idioms. The first of these tombs, built in 1543, was that of the dynasty’s founder. It was a simple black stone affair, set on a low platform, its plinths inscribed with calligraphy.
But as the dynasty rose in terms of wealth, power and international prestige, their tombs became increasingly more imposing and ornate, reaching their apogee in those of Mohammad Quli (1612), Hayat Bakhshi Begum (1667) and Abdullah (1672). The last of the tombs, however, remains poignantly unoccupied: the last sultan, Abul Hasan Tana Shah, was captured by Aurangzeb after the fall of Golconda, and died in a Mughal prison 20 years later. He lies buried in a simple, lonely grave in Maharashtra’s Daulatabad, far from the rest of his family.
The 17th century French traveller, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, wrote in his "Travels in India" that food was distributed to the poor every afternoon at the Qutb Shahi Tombs. "But when you wish to see something really beautiful, you should go to these tombs on the day of a festival for then, from morning to evening, they are covered with rich carpets,” he added.
A first in centuries
One of the members of the restoration project provided fascinating details of their quest. The Qutb Shahi Tombs are perhaps the only example of their kind in the world: an entire dynasty’s cenotaphs laid out in one splendid, landscaped garden, along with their queens, trusted ministers, holy men and healers. This is one of the main reasons why the Aga Khan Trust decided to take up the project.
The restoration team’s work began, out of necessity, by stripping away layers of so-called “restoration” work done by different parties over the years – not just the thoughtless cement patchwork done by the Archaeology Department in recent times, which has probably done more harm than good, but also the restoration work going all the way back to the 1800s, which overlaid the original Qutb Shahi detailing with Mughal-style detailing.
Once this process had been completed, the authentic beauty of the cenotaphs began to shine through for the first time in centuries. Fragments of the ceramic tiles that once adorned the cenotaphs emerged in their original glowing colours. New details of stucco scrollery - a hallmark of the Qutb Shahi style - were suddenly revealed.
And, in a small, heart-catching way, wry human details were discovered in the motifs on the cenotaphs of the different personages: one of them evidently had a weakness for grapes, for example, and therefore had a profusion of grapes depicted on his tomb; another preferred pineapples and had therefore asked for an abundance of pineapples to be rendered on his. Little details like this reveal to us the human foibles and fancies of kings and queens, dead for nearly half a millennium.
Serendipitous discoveries
Along the way, the restoration team has had to carry out emergency repairs to structures collapsing from long years of neglect. And, in the process, serendipitous discoveries have been made: like a long-lost 400-year-old summer palace; a secret tunnel, 10-ft wide, leading to who knows where; a hidden mosque; samples of medieval pottery from unexpected places like Indonesia and China; and a boundary wall that obviously once enclosed this entire magnificent complex.
The results of the restoration project are already self-evident. Yet, less than a tenth of the work has been completed. Ultimately, not only will the monuments themselves be restored to their original architectural beauty, but the 108 acres of medieval gardens, fountains, pathways and drainage systems will also be revitalised.
One of the challenges, however, will be for Ratish Nanda and his team to manage the encroachments that have, inevitably, come up on the site. Another will be to somehow integrate the cenotaph complex with the grotesque 30-acre Deccan Park that has been created cheek by jowl with it, featuring such attractions as replicas of monsters, a toy train, sailing boats, and a musical fountain that proudly claims to play a selection of over 2,000 Bollywood and Tollywood songs.
But, having seen the admirable results of Delhi’s Humayun’s Tomb restoration project, there is every chance that Nanda and team will prevail, and Hyderabad will, at last, have the World Heritage site it deserves.
